Distressed woman found on Nelson track

The missing woman was found on the Coppermine Track. Photo / YouTube

Public concern helped save a 60-year-old hiker who became trapped on a mountain walkway over the weekend, police say.

A person who was concerned about the woman contacted police after spotting her on the Dun Mountain walkway, near Nelson, believing she was not equipped for the conditions.

An appeal on the Nelson Police Facebook page resulted in several people coming forward with information that enabled a search to be mounted, police said.

Two teams of search and rescue volunteers headed into the hills on mountain bikes about 10pm. One of those teams located the woman about 1.30am on the Coppermine Track.

Senior Sergeant Shane Miles said the woman was very cold, but otherwise well. She was brought back down the track and taken for medical assessment.

The community response to a person in need was fantastic, Sergeant Miles said.

"I'm extremely grateful to the people who saw this woman during the afternoon and took the time to raise their concerns with police. Without that information we would have been unaware of this situation.

"I also want to acknowledge the work of the search and rescue volunteers. These people were more than happy to stop what they were doing on a Saturday evening and head out into the cold and dark to look for a stranger.

"They spent the entire night out and got back about 4am. We're very lucky to have people with those attitudes in our community," he said.